


Tanaka and Nishinoya

by Pouler (poulerslashes)



Series: Drabbles and Shorts [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Team Dynamics, the start of a brotp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-10
Updated: 2015-01-10
Packaged: 2018-03-06 23:22:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3152135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poulerslashes/pseuds/Pouler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"We have a problem," Asahi said, as soon as they came into the gym that afternoon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tanaka and Nishinoya

It was April second, and the new year had started the day before. It was now officially their second year of high school, and Daichi was ready for the new start.

"Daichi!" Suga caught up with him on the walk to school. "Have you spoken to Hiroki-san?"

Daichi laughed. “When am I supposed to have talked to Kurokawa-san today, Suga? Do you think he calls me when he wakes up?”

"Oh, shut up," Suga said. "I ran into him at the store last night. He showed me the sign-up list for the first years."

A feeling akin to anxiety fluttered in Daichi’s stomach. He squashed it down. “How many did we get?”

"Seven altogether."

Along with the three of them, seven first-years would be enough to have a team next year. Daichi mentally breathed a sigh of relief. It wouldn’t do very well to have Suga know how worried he’d been. “So many! That’s great.”

"That’s not all!" Suga grinned at him. "We got Nishinoya from Chidoriyama."

"The libero?" Daichi stopped in his tracks. "The one that won the award last year?"

"The very same."

This was different. This was amazing. They would be losing their third-year libero after the spring Inter-High and Daichi had wondered a bit what they’d do about it – but he hadn’t expected – “But why did he choose Karasuno?”

"Who knows? Anyway, he’s on the list. You can ask him yourself this afternoon."

Daichi started walking again. He felt bouyant. They had all the third-years still, and Asahi was really growing into being a spiker. And now, they’d have an excellent libero on the team as well. “You know, Suga,” he said brightly, “I really think this is gonna be our year.”

~

"We have a problem," Asahi said, as soon as they came into the gym that afternoon. As if the angry shouting echoing throughout the open space didn’t tip them off immediately.

"What’s going on?" Suga asked as he craned his neck to see around Asahi in the doorway.

"Some of the first years aren’t getting along," Asahi explained nervously.

"Would you get out of the way, you lunk?" Daichi demanded, and he pushed Asahi aside.

The majority of the yelling seemed to be coming from a pair of boys that Daichi did not recognize. First years, then. Two of the third years had pulled them apart, and Kurokawa was trying to get a hold of the situation.

"Ya punk! Say it to my face!" the taller of the two boys bellowed.

"Who’s a punk,  _punk_? I  _did_  say it to your ugly face!” the smaller one answered.

“ _SAY IT AGAIN._ ”

"UGLY. UGLY. UGLY."

"What the heck happened?" Suga asked over the din.

"I missed the beginning of it," Asahi said. "I think it’s mostly a disagreement over height."

“‘A disagreement over height’, you word things so awkwardly, Azumane,” said Nakahara, who came to stand beside them.

Daichi edged over to the third year. “What’s this about?”

"Apparently the one with the shaved head asked the other kid if he was looking for his big brother," Nakahara explained. "He didn’t take it well."

"Oh, ouch," Suga said. "Still, he is very short. Are we sure he’ll be right for the team?"

"That’s the new libero."

“ _What_?” Daichi blurted. “ _That’s_  Nishinoya?” Daichi looked the little first year over more closely. The third-year Maeda had lifted him right off his feet in an attempt to pull him away from the other first-year. Still, Nishinoya appeared to be more than a handful; his fists were up and ready as he spewed garbage at the other boy. The taller first-year was no slouch either – he was not overly tall, but he appeared to be pretty solidly built. If it came to blows between them, it would be a problem. “Oh, man,” Daichi groaned.

Kurokawa finally managed take charge of the scene and calmed the two boys down enough that they were able to go through formal introductions with the rest of the team. Some of the first-years were rather tall, good for their blocking prospects. The boy with the shaved head was named Tanaka. As aggressive as he was, he’d probably be good as a wing spiker – that is, Daichi mused, if he didn’t get himself kicked off the team.

The peace lasted as long as it took to split the first-years into teams of two for the traditional 3-on-3 games – and Kurokawa put Tanaka and Nishinoya together.

"You have  _got_  to be kidding me!” they yelled together in unison, then glared at each other. It would have been comical, but Daichi could feel the blood pounding behind his right eye.

"Sugawara, you’re with them," Kurokawa said, and Suga smiled wanly.

"Alright, alright," Suga said, and he went to stand between the two.

"Kurokawa-san," Daichi said, when he had a moment to pull the captain aside, "What are you thinking, putting them together?"

"They’ll work together or they won’t," Kurokawa said. "And if they don’t, it’s better to find out now than later."

Daichi didn’t know what to say to that.

"Besides," Kurokawa said, "Sugawara has such a calming presence, don’t you think? Maybe he can work something out between them." Turning to Daichi, he added, "You second-years need to think about who will be captain when we third-years retire after Inter-High."

Daichi looked across the court, where Suga was holding Tanaka and Nishinoya apart with only a firm hand on each shoulder. Somehow, inexplicably, it looked more stable than the previous situation.

"Azumane is probably not suited for it," Kurokawa told him. "That leaves you or Sugawara. It’s something to consider." He moved on to the next set of first-years.

Daichi sighed heavily.

~

Daichi sat out of the 3-on-3 games. There were enough third years for the other teams, with Suga filling in as setter with the troublesome pair. And for the most part, they seemed to be playing alright. Daichi had been right about Tanaka as a spiker, and Nishinoya’s receives were more than solid, and yet… A missed serve from Tanaka earned a sharp rebuke from Nishinoya, and that led to an exchange that could have spiraled out of control, if not for the quick intervention of Suga between them. The other team served and Nishinoya was under it easily, returning it perfectly to Suga. Suga set and Tanaka went for the kill – but Nakahara was there ready for him, and the ball was blocked.

But then something happened that Daichi did not expect. The ball was suddenly up again. It hadn’t hit the floor. Nishinoya had somehow gotten under the block, faster than the eye could follow. He’d really had to dive for it, and apparently had done so with no concern for his own face. Daichi could see the blood from the side of the court. Suga kept the ball up, and this time Tanaka got it home.

"Holy shit!" Tanaka blurted at the sight of Nishinoya’s face.

 _Language,_  Daichi winced inwardly as he jogged across the court to join the growing circle around the pair.

"Yeah, I know," Nishinoya said thickly through his nosebleed. "You actually scored, it’s crazy."

"Let’s get this cleaned up!" Kurokawa called. "Where is Shimizu?"

She came forward with towels and a package of gauze. “Do you need to see the nurse?” she asked Nishinoya, who simply looked at her dumbfounded. Tanaka bore a similar expression. It occurred to Daichi that the two of them might have been distracted enough by each other to not notice their striking-looking manager before that moment.

"Come here, let’s patch you up," she said, and she took Nishinoya’s arm. He stood up and went with her without a word or complaint, like a man bewitched. Tanaka followed, equally silent.

"Hey!" Suga called after them, "what about this set?"

"Sugawara, let them go," Kurokawa said. "We’ll come back to this game next."

 After the court was cleaned up and the next set began, Daichi joined Nishinoya and Tanaka on the bench. Nishinoya held gauze to his nose, his expression still glazed.

"Dude," Tanaka said beside him, "dude, she touched you."

"Am I dead?" Nishinoya said in a dreamy voice, "I think I might have died. I think I just saw an angel."

"She  _touched_  you,” Tanaka repeated in awe. “Was her hand soft? I bet it was soft.”

"It was so soft. She smelled amazing. I’m never washing my arm again."

"That was the most badass thing I’ve ever seen in my  _life_ , man, wow.”

As their conversation continued, Asahi nudged in next to Daichi. “They seem to be getting along better now,” he said hopefully.

"Yeah…" Daichi returned. He looked at Tanaka and Nishinoya together on the bench. Somehow, he didn’t feel any less apprehensive about the situation.


End file.
